http://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/ Eco-strategies and social marketing for a more sustainable University of Winnipeg en Copyright 2007 Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:20:01 -0600 http://www.sixapart.com/movabletype/ http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss cycling and misconceptions about its relative safety: "Cycling is safer than you might believe...In the early 1990s, for example, Failure Analysis Associates (since renamed Exponent), one of the world's leading engineering firms in the specialty field of quantifying risk exposure and preventing mechanical failure, estimated that riding in a car for an hour is almost twice as likely to kill you as is riding a bike for an hour. Repeat: this credible source suggests that biking is not more dangerous than driving but is, in fact, half as dangerous. ...It looks like the added increment of crash danger you put yourself in from biking, rather than driving, is small, if it exists at all. Furthermore, if you care about not imperiling others -- assuming you want to avoid both dying and killing in a collision -- then cycling looks substantially safer than driving, because bikers almost never kill or injure others. But even assuming you don't care about anyone but yourself, cycling is still the healthy choice, because crash danger isn't the end of the story." To improve the safety of cycling, the author suggests a number of key strategies, such as improving cycling facilities. As the University moves to improving its cycling facilities on campus, it's also important to lobby for improved facilities in the city itself, which is why it's important for us to support the efforts of Bike to the Future, which meets tonight on campus in the Bullman Student's Centre. ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/one_more_reason_to_bike_to_sch_1.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/one_more_reason_to_bike_to_sch_1.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:20:01 -0600 Sustainable Campuses Conference. According to their website, the Sustainable Campuses is an "initiative that works to assist, empower and network university students working to make their schools more sustainable. Sustainable Campuses challenges people to makes the links between university operations and their socio-economic and environmental effects - both locally and globally. This project helps students integrate sustainable operations, policy and practice into their university institutions for the long term. Sustainable Campuses works directly with students to build your skills, enhance your knowledge, and help you to succeed in institutionalizing sustainability." The conference itself "is different from most conferences. It is an active training ground to empower participants with the skills to lead successful initiatives on their campuses. At the conference, participants will: build and enhance their skills through participatory and engaging workshops and field trips; enjoy group discussions with leading sustainability experts, youth and scholars; and meet hundreds of university students, professors, and university administrators with whom to share success stories. Since 1999, the Conference has been supporting, documenting and sharing the efforts of young Canadians who implement environmental and social responsibility projects in their schools. This has resulted in the strengthening of a national network of hundreds of students collaborating in their efforts to make institutions of higher education leaders in sustainability. Conference Goals 1. To build the capacity of conference participants to develop campus sustainability initiatives in their schools and communities; 2. To continue building the capacity of returning participants by introducing innovative workshops, training, discussions and field trips; 3. To continue supporting and expanding strong, active, student-oriented networks regionally, nationally and internationally, and support their grassroots campaigns; 4. To introduce and train participants to take part in Canada's most holistic Campus Sustainability Assessment." To learn more, email info(at)syc-cjs.org. ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/national_conference_on_sustain_1.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/national_conference_on_sustain_1.html Wed, 10 Oct 2007 09:08:27 -0600 recent article from The Idaho Observer, a compelling case is made that we have blindly embraced a technology that has required complete bodily immersion into new, invisible and potentially lethal environment: "RF/microwaves from cell phones and cell tower transmitters cause micronuclei damage in blood cells...The telecommunications industry knows this thanks to its own six-year, wireless technology research (WTR) study program mandated by Congress and completed in 1999. Gathering a team of over 200 doctors, scientists and experts in the field, WTR research showed that human blood exposed to cell phone radiation had a 300-percent increase in genetic damage in the form of micronuclei.3 Dr. George Carlo, a public health expert who coordinated the WTR studies, confirms that exposure to communications radiation from wireless technology is 'potentially the biggest health insult' this nation has ever seen. Dr. Carlo believes RF/microwave radiation is a greater threat than cigarette smoking and asbestos. Because gamma waves and RF/microwave radiation are identically carcinogenic and genotoxic to the cellular roots of life, the safe dose of either kind of radiation is zero. No study has proven that any level of exposure from cell-damaging radiation is safe for humans. Dr. Carlo confirms that cell damage is not dose dependant because any exposure level can trigger damage response by cell mechanisms. Communications antennas blast the human habitat with many different electromagnetic frequencies simultaneously. Public microwave exposure levels tolerated by the FCC and its industry-loaded advisory committees are a national health disaster. Yet, for pragmatic and lucrative reasons, federal exposure limits have been deliberately set so high that no matter how much additional wireless radiation is added to the national burden, it will always be 'within standards.' This is where we stand today. The public has no vote, no voice, no choice. Chronic exposure to scientifically indefensible levels of DNA-ravaging radiation is now compulsory for everyone in America. America must soon face its radiation cataclysm. The EMR Network says that millions of workers occupy worksites on a daily basis where operating antenna arrays are camouflaged and where no RF safety program is carried out. Thanks to shameless predatory advertising techniques, American youth are now literally addicted to 'texting,' watching TV and accessing the Internet on tiny wireless screens. These are the toys that keep cell towers and WiFi hot spots buzzing. A nation that requires compulsory mass irradiation to fuel its trivial entertainment needs is surely destined to have a sickly and short-lived population." In other words, it is possible that this ubiquitous ability to communicate is coming at a heavy price: that we are literally being connected to death. This may be a serious health issue for the University. ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/is_campus_wifi_a_health_hazard.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/is_campus_wifi_a_health_hazard.html Fri, 05 Oct 2007 10:44:15 -0600 Depression-era grandparents were the original environmentalists. "Our grandparents lived lives astonishingly different from our own. If my grandparents hail from outer space, it is from a planet quite possibly more sustainable than the one I have always called home, and despite having gone about their business not knowing their greenhouse gases from their carbon credits, they might still have a thing or two to teach me about being green. They appear to have the credentials to back them up. By and large, they used less water, burned less gas, needed less electricity, put less carbon up into the air, imported less food, bought fewer cars, built much smaller homes and threw out way less garbage. Moreover, whether they accomplished this by choice or by harsh necessity, they managed it all without organic grocery stores and front-loading washing machines and hybrid gas-electric cars and compact fluorescent lightbulbs -- all of those glittering new consumer choices that we keep hearing so much about. Three of my grandparents -- the three that were born in Canada -- came of age during the Great Depression, which hit the Canadian prairies harder than just about anywhere else. Frugality became an imperative, burned into their blood. Waste was more than a pile of useless rubbish; it was lost opportunity, something to be eyed with suspicion and disdain. This kind of concerted self-discipline may be the only way for us to manufacture a latter-day simulation of the consumption habits of our grandparents, most of whom had neither the money nor the temptation to constantly shop. Alas, the human brain is a stubborn beast, allowing each and every one of us to perform some impressive mental gymnastics when it comes to self-persuasion. In just a few short, strange years, we have managed to assemble, virtually from scratch, a veritable checklist of goods that we all must own to attest to our green credentials. Not so long ago, we suffered through the absurdity of ad campaigns claiming four-wheel-drive suvs as the only tools available to us for accessing nature. Now we suffer through ad campaigns claiming hybrid suvs as the only tools available to us for saving nature. At the intersection between ecological conscience and shopping fever, buying green -- not wasting less -- has become the new cultural imperative."]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/grandma_what_did_you_do_for_th.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/grandma_what_did_you_do_for_th.html Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:45:43 -0600 Human Behavior, Global Warming and the Ubiquitous Plastic Bag he muses on what he calls "the American way of waste" and why it seems too much bother to do anything about it. "[It] pretty much seems to be that no matter how piddly the effort, no matter how small the bother, well, it's too much bother. Plastic bags are not the biggest single issue out there, and no expert on global warming would suggest solutions rest wholly with decisions made by individual consumers. On the other hand, it is estimated that the United States goes through 100 billion plastic bags a year, which take an estimated 12 million barrels of oil to produce and last almost forever. And if individual decisions can't solve the problem, the wrong ones can certainly compound it. Once upon a time, the question was plastic or paper, which had its own somewhat uncertain calculus of virtue and waste. Now, it has begun to dawn on people that you don't need either. Most supermarkets these days sell sturdy, reusable bags for 99 cents that people can use instead of plastic ones. Except almost no one does. For lots of different reasons. They buy them and forget to use them. They figure they can reuse the plastic bags for garbage and dog-walking duties. They find them unhygienic; we fell in love with the throwaway culture for a reason. One reusable bag can hold the contents of several plastic ones, but that's too heavy for the elderly or the frail to carry. It's just not what we do. Plastic bags are a small part of the picture. (Sport utility vehicles, McMansions, long commutes, anyone?) But you think, if we can't change our behavior to deal with this one, we can't change our behavior to deal with anything." ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/bag_it.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/10/bag_it.html Tue, 02 Oct 2007 09:49:02 -0600 Orion Magazine features a a montage by artist Tim Gaudreau that helps put some perspective on this question: "For 365 days, every time Tim Gaudreau threw something away he photographed it. Gaudreau, who recycles and considers himself ecologically conscious, limited what he bought and didn’t participate in any of the traditional consumer holidays. Everything photographed was his average, daily consumption. And most of it was food packaging. As the project revealed his consumer habits, it changed his behavior. “The daily coffee cup adds up,” he says."]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/09/portrait_of_the_artist_as_a_co.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/09/portrait_of_the_artist_as_a_co.html Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:53:15 -0600 top 15 Green campuses. Most of these are in the United States; Canada is represented by UBC: "A leader in the greening of Canadian campuses, UBC adopted a sustainable development policy in 1997 and a year later opened a campus Sustainability Office -- both firsts for the nation's colleges. Offering more than 300 sustainability-related courses, this Vancouver campus was Canada's first and only university to receive Campus Ecology Recognition from the U.S.-based National Wildlife Federation, in 2003 and again in 2005. And just last year, UBC developed a comprehensive sustainability strategy to keep the eco-momentum moving." ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/09/the_grist_on_green_campuses.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/09/the_grist_on_green_campuses.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 09:10:15 -0600 driving has less impact on climate change than walking the same distance. This assertion -- which a first seems so counterintuitive as to be nonsensical -- is based on the assumption that most people eat an energy-intensive diet. A walker would need to replace the calories burned by walking, but unfortunately our food production system has gotten so incredibly energy-intensive, that most of the food the walker would eat would have generated a lot of GHG in the process of being grown, harvested, shipped and cooled before consumption. Driving the same distance in an efficient, newer model cars would be less harmful in comparison. So unless you replace those burned calories with locally-grown and harvested cereals and pulses, your diet could be doing more damage than a car addiction...]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/08/want_to_save_the_world_drive_t.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/08/want_to_save_the_world_drive_t.html Tue, 07 Aug 2007 13:56:52 -0600 Winnipeg has been declared the winner of the 2007 Commuter Challenge! Winnipeg has regained the national Commuter Challenge title for the population category of half a million to one million, Science, Technology, Energy and Mines Minister Jim Rondeau and Healthy Living Minister Kerri Irvin-Ross announced today. “I congratulate everyone who participated in this year’s challenge,” said Rondeau. “Manitobans have consistently showed an awareness of and concern for climate change issues.” “Thousands of Manitobans participated by walking, biking or utilizing some form of environmentally-friendly transportation,” said Irvin-Ross. “Using this type of transportation can mean environmentally healthier communities as well as more physically fit Manitobans.” Rondeau noted it was a close race between Winnipeg and Ottawa for the title but Winnipeg prevailed. The minister said Manitoba had a strong showing with participation from 21 communities across the province and a total of more than 4,900 participants. Provincial employee participation increased substantially with more than 1,150 participating in the challenge, a 45 per cent increase from last year. The province received top national honours among provincial workplaces over 5,000 employees. “Winnipeg is once again the Commuter Challenge capital of Canada for our population category,” said Sara Perlmutter, provincial challenge co-ordinator for Resource Conservation Manitoba (RCM). “RCM hopes that Winnipeg’s top national finish will send a positive message to community leaders that choosing to walk, cycle, carpool or take transit to and from work or school needs to become a better option for Winnipeggers.” The Commuter Challenge raises awareness of the importance of creating a safe, convenient, friendly and healthy environment that makes alternative forms of transportation an option for everyone. It is centered on an annual national event where communities and workplaces across Canada compete for the highest percentage of participation during Canadian Environment Week. ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/07/winnipeg_is_commuter_challenge.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/07/winnipeg_is_commuter_challenge.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:40:56 -0600 Home Front Ecology that during World War II, recycling, conservation, car-pooling, bicycling and growing your own food were considered patriotic: "In the 1940s, Americans simultaneously battled fascism overseas and waste at home. My parents, their neighbors, and millions of others left cars at home to ride bikes to work, tore up their front yards to plant cabbage, recycled toothpaste tubes and cooking grease, volunteered at daycare centers and USOs, shared their houses and dinners with strangers, and conscientiously attempted to reduce unnecessary consumption and waste. The World War II home front was the most important and broadly participatory green experiment in U.S. history. Lessing Rosenwald, the chief of the Bureau of Industrial Conservation, called on Americans "to change from an economy of waste--and this country has been notorious for waste--to an economy of conservation." A majority of civilians, some reluctantly but many others enthusiastically, answered the call. The war also temporarily dethroned the automobile as the icon of the American standard of living. Detroit assembly lines were retooled to build Sherman tanks and B-24 Liberators. Gasoline was rationed and, following the Japanese conquest of Malaya, so was rubber. (The U.S. Office of the Rubber Director was charged with getting used tires to factories, where they became parts for tanks and trucks.) When shortages and congestion brought streetcar and bus systems across the country near the breaking point, it became critical to induce workers to share rides or adopt alternative means of transportation. Car sharing was reinforced by gas-ration incentives, stiff fines for solo recreational driving, and stark slogans: 'When you ride ALONE,' warned one poster, 'you ride with Hitler!' There was [also] remarkable consistency in the observation of journalists and visitors (as well as in later memoirs) that the combination of a world crisis, full employment, and mild austerity seemed to be a tonic for the American character. New York Times columnist Samuel Williamson, for example, monitored the impacts of rationing and restricted auto use on families in commuter suburbs that lacked 'the self-sufficiency of the open country' and the 'complete integration of the large city.' After noting initial popular dismay and confusion, Williamson was heartened to see suburbanites riding bikes, mending clothes, planting gardens, and spending more time in cooperative endeavors with their neighbors. Without cars, people moved at a slower pace but seemed to accomplish more. Like Welles in The Magnificent Ambersons, Williamson pointed out that American life had been revolutionized in a single generation and many good things seemingly lost forever; the war and the emphasis on conservation were now resurrecting some of the old values." ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/07/the_greenest_generation.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/07/the_greenest_generation.html Wed, 11 Jul 2007 08:49:43 -0600 2007 Commuter Challenge run by Resource Conservation Manitoba. This is a great opportunity to promote sustainable transportation and at the same time score one up on the University of Manitoba, which usually compares really poorly to U of W in Campus Commuter Challenges! If you're just getting started with bicycle commuting, there's lots of information on bike commuting basics; and if you want to get a sense of just how cycleable Winnipeg is, check out the amazing work at One Green City : "One Green City is both a map showing a growing bikeway network (integrated with suggested routes for discussion) and a booklet of strategies. The strategies booklet is inspired by the City of Chicago's Bike Plan 2015, and is meant to guide the implementation of that network and to support it with facilities, events and mainstream acceptance. The website is meant as an open, inspiring, flexible, continually updated resource. " If you're going on foot, RCM has a nice page of walking resources; and of course, transit users can use Winnipeg Transit's Navigo page or Maps and Schedules pages to plan their trips. Sadly, I'll be missing most of this because I'm evilly flying in a massive jet to Quebec City for a conference... ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/05/winnipeg_commuter_challenge_20_1.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/05/winnipeg_commuter_challenge_20_1.html Thu, 31 May 2007 10:43:04 -0600 toxins and heavy metals in these products. What's raising new alarm bells however is the good stuff that's also being thrown away: precious metals that are going to become increasingly scarce if we don't start reclaiming them: "Valuable resources in every discarded product with a battery or plug - computers, televisions, phones and other household gadgets - are being trashed in rising volumes worldwide, and unless countries start recycling more of this high-tech scrap, they will soon face serious shortages, experts say. "Every year, the world generates 40 million metric tonnes of electronic scrap - e-scrap," noted Jeremy Gregory, a postdoctoral associate in the Materials Systems Laboratory and the Laboratory for Energy and the Environment at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Only a small amount of this e-scrap is recycled. Last year, the European Union, one of the few regions with accurate statistics, generated 8.5 million metric tonnes of electronic waste, but recycling companies only handled 0.5 million tonnes. The market value of important minor metals used in electronics is increasing rapidly. The price of indium, for example, a metal used in more than one billion products per year, has risen six-fold. "The large price spikes for all these special elements that rely on production of metals like zinc, copper, lead or platinum underline that supply security at affordable prices cannot be guaranteed indefinitely unless efficient recycling loops are established to recover them from old products," Ruediger Kuehr of the United Nations University (UNU) noted in a report on the issue in April. "This recycling of trace elements requires hi-tech processes but it is vital to do it. For manufacturers, improving the e-scrap recycling process is essential to ongoing production and repair operations," he said. A decline in the production of electronics would be a serious problem for the whole world." ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/05/lost_treasures_in_ewaste.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/05/lost_treasures_in_ewaste.html Mon, 28 May 2007 11:48:04 -0600 Flick Off", which the CBC describes as "edgy and provocative fashion." What's particularly interesting is that they're not just preaching -- they're changing their own workplace. According to their website, MuchMusic staff are doing the following: 1. Lights off –- there’s no reason why an office building should have all of its lights on all night. We’re making sure ours doesn’t. 2. TVs & computers –- we have them, we love them, we don’t need to leave them on all the time. We have a 10 minute rule: if you’re gonna be away for more than 10 minutes, turn off the monitor. And flick off the computer at the end of the day. 3. Recycling -– everyone’s regular garbage can has been replaced with a teeny tiny one – because most things (paper, plastic, bottles & cans) can be recycled, there’s no need for anything bigger. 4. We’re working on lots more – check back! What's even more eye-catching is the design of the logo -- the "L" and "I" are arranged in such a way that they resemble a "U" and, well...use your imagination. This hook extends to their spokespeople, who are "Motherflickers" and all the "flick off" merchandise you can buy at their online store. What do you think? Should we be telling our coworkers at the University to flick off too? ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/04/flick_off_1.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/04/flick_off_1.html Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:50:34 -0600 $1.7 million dollars are being allocated to build new trails in the city, which will someday make it easier to people in those parts of the city to Bike to Work...which I happened to do this morning for the first time in ages! I cycle to work regularly in the warmer months, but used to cycle all-year round in Calgary (until an ice-related [my wife would say a stupidity-related] accident led to a dislocated shoulder). There are tons of benefits to bike commuting: It's a great way to save money, stay in shape and get to know your city better. But it does take some planning. If you've ever commuted by bicycle -- or would like to -- there are some good resources online to help you prepare -- both personally and in terms of promoting bicycle commuting in the workplace. Bike commuting is good for workplaces because - Bicycling improves employee productivity, morale, and health due to stress reduction and results in financial savings for the company - Because 8 to 12 bicycles can be parked in one car space, it the reduces demand for car parking - Supporting bicycling promotes your company's image as a community oriented and environmentally responsible employer. Setting up a Bicycle Advisory Committee can help a business by: −working to develop, implement and evaluate strategies −serving as a resource to novice bike commuters −identifying best bike routes to company −coordinating with local bicycle clubs −acting as a liaison to public entities" Resource Conservation Manitoba also has a guide on promoting Green Commuting at your workplace. However, bicycle commuting can make one feel a little isolated -- especially by the hostility you get from some drivers. That's why a lot of people like belonging to Bicycle Users' Groups (or BUGS). Toronto has a BUG Network. On this website you can find some good general information on BUGS, such as how to start one: "Starting a BUG can be relatively easy: - gather a group of interested cyclists - hold a first BUG meeting - plan and propose how to improve cycling facilities at your work or school or in your community - plan special events like group rides, or host cycling seminars offered through the BUG Network - continue to find other interested cyclists to join and support your BUG - keep in touch with other BUGs by joining the City's Bug Network - look at the information below on how to start a BUG at a workplace - it contains useful tips for all BUGs." ...and how to use incentives to promote cycling in the workplace: - mileage for commuting and cycle journeys on work-related business - policies that encourage cycling, such as casual dress Fridays, or the use of a company car for business-related trips during the day that can't be cycled - Ride Home Insurance (ride arrangements if an employee can't ride home for some reason, or has an emergency and needs to get somewhere fast - Bike Buddies Program - matches less experienced cyclists with veterans to help ease in new commuters - having an experienced guide can go a long way toward converting a recreational cyclist into a commuter cyclist - "Flexible hours" to allow for off-peak travel - time off to take CAN-BIKE safety courses (maybe the company will cover the cost, as well?) - if showers aren't available, the company might subsidise a "shower pass" at a nearby health club. How to start? Take a look at some bicycle commuting basics: "- Arrange for secure bike parking. - Choose your route.Study maps and base your route on the traffic volume at the time of day you'll be riding. - Drive your route first.Look at shoulder construction, street surface and street condition of the route you are considering for your commute. - Check the mechanical safety of your bike.See "Before You Ride" for more specifics. - Obtain the necessary repair tools and learn to use them. Consider bringing a spare tube, patch kit, tire irons, bike pump and a set of simple tools. Most bike shops can make recommendations specific to your bike." You may also want to check out online resources about cycling in Winnipeg. The City has a page devoted to its trails and pathways; the Manitoba Cycling Association has an excellent resource on bicycle commuting; Resource Conservation Manitoba publishes a newsletter called Active & Green; and if you want to get involved in cycling advocacy, check out biketothefuture. See you on the road! ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/04/work_to_live_live_to_bike_bike.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/04/work_to_live_live_to_bike_bike.html Wed, 11 Apr 2007 09:21:00 -0600 Sierra Club has just posted some great suggestions that fall very much in line with the goals we've been promoting here at the University of Winnipeg: 1. Be bright about light: Artificial lighting accounts for 44 percent of the electricity use in office buildings. > Make it a habit to turn off the lights when you're leaving any room for 15 minutes or more and utilize natural light when you can. 2. Maximize computer efficiency: Computers in the business sector unnecessarily waste $1 billion worth of electricity a year. > Make it a habit to turn off your computer—and the power strip it's plugged into—when you leave for the day. 3. Print smarter: The average U.S. office worker goes through 10,000 sheets of copy paper a year. > Make it a habit to print on both sides or use the back side of old documents for faxes, scrap paper, or drafts. > Make it a policy to buy chlorine-free paper with a higher percentage of post-consumer recycled content. 4. Go paperless when possible > Make it a habit to think before you print: could this be read or stored online instead? 5. Ramp up your recycling: > Make it a habit to recycle everything your company collects. 6. Close the loop: > Make it a policy to purchase office supplies and furniture made from recycled materials. 7. Watch what (and how) you eat: > Make it a habit to bring your own mug and dishware for those meals you eat at the office. > Make it a policy to provide reusable dishes, silverware, and glasses. 8. Rethink your travel: > Make it a habit to take the train, bus, or subway when feasible instead of a rental car when traveling on busines > Make it a policy to invest in videoconferencing and other technological solutions that can reduce the amount of employee travel. 9. Reconsider your commute: > Make it a habit to carpool, bike, or take transit to work, and/or telecommute when possible. > Make it a policy to encourage telecommuting (a nice perk that's also good for the planet!) and make it easy for employees to take alternative modes of transportation by subsidizing commuter checks, offering bike parking, or organizing a carpool board. 10. Create a healthy office environment > Make it a habit to use nontoxic cleaning products. Brighten up your cubicle with plants, which absorb indoor pollution. > Make it a policy to buy furniture, carpeting, and paint that are free of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and won't off-gas toxic chemicals. As you can see, our current efforts as Champions are part of a much larger picture -- such as the issues being dealt with by the Procurement and Transportation working groups, for example -- but these will probably come under our umbrella in the near future. ]]> https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/03/tips_on_office_sustainability.html https://blog.uwinnipeg.ca/champs/archives/2007/03/tips_on_office_sustainability.html Thu, 22 Mar 2007 09:42:55 -0600